‘Ice Age: The Meltdown’ Freezes Out T.I. And Big Boi At The Box Office

“Ice Age: The Meltdown” froze out the competition at the box office this weekend, earning an estimated $70.5 million to run away with the #1 box-office ranking.

Featuring the voices of Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, Seann William Scott and John Leguizamo, the “Ice Age” sequel centers on a group of animals whose cool world is coming to an end as their surroundings begin to melt. The animated film outperformed its nearest competitor by nearly $55 million.

“Inside Man” was demoted to #2, down a notch from the #1 spot where it made its debut last week. The Spike Lee film, starring Denzel Washington as a detective dispatched to stop a group of robbers who have taken a bank and 50 hostages under siege, earned more than $15.6 million.

T.I. and Big Boi star in “ATL,” the only new release other than “Ice Age: The Meltdown” to crack the top five. Following four teenagers growing up in and around an Atlanta skating rink, the hip-hop coming-of-age drama bowed at #3 with more than $12.5 million (see “T.I. Didn’t Have To Research ‘ATL’ Role — He Lived It”)
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Rounding out this week’s top 10 are “She’s the Man,” which slipped from #6 to #7 with more than $4.5 million; “Slither,” which bowed at #8 with more than $3.6 million; “The Shaggy Dog,” which dropped from #5 to #9 with more than $3.5 million; and “Basic Instinct 2,” which debuted at #10 with $3.2 million.

Overall, ticket sales were up from the corresponding weekend last year.

Next week, look for “The Benchwarmers,” “Take the Lead,” “Phat Girlz’ and “Lucky Number Slevin” to debut on the box-office top 10.